Light attachment for telephones



J1me 1948- L. L. sATz LIGHT ATTACHMENT FOR TELEPHONES Filed March 4,1946 INVENTOR lows L. 5A T2 ATTORNEY Patented June 8, i948 LIGHTATTACHMENT FOR TELEPHONES Louis L. Satz, University City, Mo., assignorto The Phon-O-Lite Corporation,lSt. Louis, Mo., a corporation ofMissouri Application March 4, 1946, Serial No. 651,746 3 Claims. (Cl.240-217) This invention relates to improvements in light attachment fortelephones, and more particularly to an attachment best suited for usewith desktype dial instruments, for the general purpose of providing anilluminant in the immediate region of the dial.

There have heretofore been suggested certain types of lightingattachments for phones, to facilitate dial operations and reducepossibilities of error therein. As far as is known, however, suchattachments possess one or more of several serious disadvantages, amongthe more important of which may be mentioned the complications and costsincident to control of the light circuit through switching meansassociated with and, in some cases, disposed internally of the telephoneinstrument. This is obviously undesirable because of the necessity ofadded wiring, and the liability to electrical difficulties andinterference with telephone circuits. Other attachments, heretoforesuggested for this purpose, involve screw type clamps and othersupporting and fastening accessories which are bound to mar, penetrate,abrade or otherwise partly impair the phone instrument. Although thereprevail other minor objections to such older devices, it is a major andgeneral objective of the present improvements to obviate thedisadvantages above noted, and to attain a phone light attachment whichis incapable of abrading or marring the phone instrument in any way, andwhich may be applied to or removed from the instrument without anytools, and by anyone, irrespective of his possible lack of experience orskill.

A further and important object of the invention is attained in a lightfixture for attachment to phones, which is self-retaining in an optimumposition of use, by virtue of a unique simplified clamp-on arrangement.

An additional object of importance is attained in a compact, lightweight, easily fabricated attachment for the purpose noted, and whichprovides an advantageous disposition of lighting conductors or leadwires, whereby to avoid any possibility of fouling by the lightingconductors, of the usual conductors appurtenant to the telephone.

Yet another objective provision embodied in the presently illustratedexample, consists in an improved body or bracket of the lightattachment, and its juxtaposition to the cradle of a handset phone,whereby the bracket serves as a camming device or guide for the handsetas same is lowered in place onto the cradle.

A general and important objective is attained in a novel assembly oftelephone light attachment which is of clean lines, attractive inappearance and characterized by'an absence of projections, ledges,corners and the like, and which may readily be fabricated, withoutexpensive tooling equipment, entirely from stock or readily obtainablematerials.

The foregoing and numerous other objectives will more clearly appearfrom the following detailed description of a selected embodiment of theinvention, particularly when considered in connection with theaccompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a desk typetelephone with which the attachment is utilized;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the assembly;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal median section in a vertical plane, showing theattachment in approximately full scale, and as viewed along line 3-3 ofFig. 2, and

Fig. 4 is a front elevation looking somewhat upwardly and forwardly intothe hood or reflector portion of the attachment, shown separately fromthe phone.

Referring now by characters of reference to the drawing, the attachmentin preferred form is illustrated and is particularly adapted for use ontelephones of s0-called.desk type prevalently in use, and is intendedfor the primary purpose of illuminating the dial and dial regionsthereof, so as to facilitate the dialing operation and to minimizeerrors therein. Figs. 1 and 2 show in dotted lines a base structure Band a handset HS, the handset normally reposing as shown, on the cradlelocated at the upper portion of the base. The front of the telephonebase B is provided with a sloping surface on which is mounted for readyaccessibility, the dial assembly generally indicated at D. In phones'ofthis type the body B is provided with a finger recess for lifting thebase, the approximate location of this recess being indicated at R. inFig.1, and above which and just below the cradle, is a horizontal wallor deck portion W.

The cradle portion of the instrument may be taken as including the usualfour upstanding lugs or posts P, a, pair of these being located in lineat each end of the cradle, and serving to position the grip portion ofthe handset HS therebetween. Each'pair of end posts P are connected by abridge, and the two bridges penetrated by normally depressed switchplungers (not shown). The foregoing description is introduced to renderpresently more meaningful the structure of the phone, but the elementsthus far described obvi- At the uppermost and forward end oftheattachment, as will best appear from Figs. 1 and 3,

is a substantially semi-cylindrical. hood or refiector portion 10, thelength ofwhich is'preferably about the diameter of the significantportion of the dial D. The hood is supported by an integral tubular bodyportion lLwhich extends downwardly and rear'wardly .of the hood, andwhich is provided with an opening ,I-2-, through which, as will appear,light is reflecteddirectly downwardly upon the dial D. The portion II,as will now have appeared, is of a graduallydiminishing rectangularcross section, and merges into and is angularly connected with adistinctly fiattened tubular continuance thereof indicated at l3. Thus,in lateral aspect the relation of parts l3 and I l is such as topreserrt aso-called gooseneck styling.

It will have appeared that the portion 13; is fully enclosed bysubstantial planar top and bottom walls, the latter indicated "at 1'4.and is provided with a substantially planar rear wall l5, centrally ofwhich, and of a diameter about equal to the depth of portion 1 3., isan. outlet thimble 16. through whichextend the lighting conductorsrorlead wires 28. This provision of the'thirnble. l6 and the noted locationthereof, are-preferred so as definitely'to direct the conductors 20distinctly rearwardly of the cradle-portion of the phone, andsubstantially centrally away from the .base B. The design is such as toprevent foulingof the usual phone conductors extending rearwardiy of thelower portion of the base and e'ndwise of the handset. It is obvious, ofcourse, that conductors 28 may becolle'ctively embraced and con-,-stitute parts of a single duplex cord, as shown by Fi 1.

The illuminant 'or light bulb-LB is preferably located about midway ofthe internal length of the reflector hood in and-is carried by asuitable base, preferably for compactness and best appearance, alsomounted internally of. hood 1 0, and by preference, being of a typeincluding a built-in snap switch mechanism, the base and switchstructure being generally indicated at BS, and provided with a switchactuating member SA projecting externally of the hood. The base-andswitch structure are preferably supportedby one end wall of hood l0,these ends being preferably circular.

The conductors 21] are preferably extended through an auxiliary internalconduit 2|, which extends from the base end of the hood 10' in agenerally downward direction-thence horizontally traversing the portion[3 and may, if desired, extend outwardly through the outlet tube orthimble l6.

Ihe presently preferredprovision for 'clam'p ingly supporting the typedescribed, is the result of a number of experiments to arrive at aprovision for this the attachment one; phone of purpose which cannot inany way mar, abrade, penetrate or disfigure the plastic material of thebase B. This result has been admirably attained by utilizing the bottomwall [4 as one element of a jaw type clamp. The metal of the bottom ofportion I3 is bent downward to form a flange 22, projecting a distanceapproximating the depth of the deck portion of the "body underlying thecradle and overlying the recess R. This metal is then extended forwardlyto form the opposite jaw of the clamp shown at 23, and terminates in afree, somewhat downturned end 24. At least one of the jaw portions 23 or[4, preferably 23, is

of a tempered o'r resilient nature, so that the jaws ihay be yieldablydisplaced apart when the device is applied to the phone, as will laterbe described,

andyet will serve clampingly to engage the deck portion and retain theattachment firmly in position.

It is greatly preferred to form the attachment, particularly the bodythereof, of a substantially uniform width. It is particularly desiredsoto form the portion 13 that it will substantially fill the spacebetween the posts P of the cradle, which thus serve definitely to fixthetransverse position of the attachment in relation to the phone, anddefinitely to assure alignment thereof, in cooperation with the clampconstituted by elements 23-l4.

Thea-manner of application and usage of the attachment is thought tohave been fully apparent from the foregoing description of its elements,but it may be briefly noted that the device may be-ea's'ily applied byanyone, without tools, merely by lifting the handset HS, positioning theattachment somewhat rearwardly of the cradle. then-moving ithorizontally and forwardly so that the opposite jaws of the clamp 23-l4receive therebetween the deck portion W just below the cradle. The finalposition of 'usage of the device will be definitely determined byabutment of the rear deckiiiairgin, by the bight 22'be'ing the fian'geof the "clamp. Removal "of the attachment is, now obviously effectedmerely by again lifting the handset and sliding the attachmentrearwardiy and horizontallyto an extent sumcien't to cause the jaws l4and '22 to be disengaged from the'de'ck above the anger recess normallyprovided for lifting the base of the phone. 'Th'e conductors 2'0 willofcourse be connected to some-standard type ofplug 'i'n sertable in ausual e'lectric outlet. Upon being thus connected, and the attachmentinplace, it is merely'necessary to actuate the light" switch throughmember SA when dial illumination-is desired.

Although. the invention has been described by making-reference to asingle preferred embodiment, the detail of description istobeunderstoodsolely inan illustrative, rather thanin any limiting sense,numerous variants being possible within the scope of the claims hereuntoappended;

Iclaim as my invention:

1'. A dial-illurr'iin'atir'i'g attachment for telephone'sof desk typehaving a handset cradle and a base recess below the cradle, theattachment consisting of a jaw clamp arranged'to embrace the baseportion above the recess, the clamp including on'e'jaw adapted to extendinto the recess and-"a companion jaw carrying 'a tubular portionextended upwardlyan'd forwardly of the cradie; a reflector hood at theoutermost end of the tubular portion, an electric, iiiuminantin thehood, and conductors extending from the illuminant through the tubularportion and rearwardly from the base in a zone rearwardly of the cradle.

2. A dial-illuminating attachment for telephones of desk type having ahandset cradle and a base below the cradle, the base having a liftingrecess immediately below the cradle, the attachment consisting of a jawclamp arranged to embrace the upper wall of the base immediately abovethe lifting recess, the clamp comprising two spaced, resiliently relatedjaws characterized by smooth, wide substantially planar grippingsurfaces, one such jaw normally extending into the lifting recess, theother jaw carrying a tubular portion extended upwardly and forwardly ofthe cradle, a reflector hood at the outermost end of the tubularportion, an electric illuminant in the hood, the tubular portion beingof a length to extend transversely of and to traverse the cradle beneaththe handset when in repose, and

conductors extending from the illuminant through the tubular portion andrearwardly of the base.

3. A dial lighting attachment for use with a telephone of desk typewhich is characterized by a base and handset, includes a handset cradleon top of the base and is provided with a finger recess for lifting thebase, which recess is located just below the cradle, the attachmentincluding a substantially semi-cylindrical hood and constituting anenclosing hood and reflector, an electric illuminant in and shrouded bythe hood, a base or socket for the illuminant carried by one end of thereflector, a switch including an actuating portion extended outwardly ofthe reflector, a tubular body constituting a virtually integralcontinuation of the hood, the body being of a substantially rectangularcross section and of diminishing sectional area rearwardly of the hood,the body continuing in a substantially shallow tubular portion at anangle to that portion just back of the hood, said shallow portion beingof a width substantially equal to the distance between the baseprojections identified with the cradle, the lowermost wall of saidshallow portion being integrally continued beyond said shallow bodyportion to form a downturned flange, thence continued in a directionforwardly of the phone base and about parallel to the bottom of saidshallow portion whereby to form therewith a clamp for the attachmentadapted releasably to grip that portion of the base of the phoneimmediately above the lifting recess and immediately below the cradle,an auxiliary tube internally of the tubular body, and extended throughthe rearmost part of said shallow body portion and constituting anoutlet thimble, and conductors extended from the illuminant base andswitch through the auxiliary tube and outlet thimble, thence outwardlyof the attachment in a zone distinctly rearwardly of the cradle andhandset of a phone with which the attachment is utilized.

LOUIS L. SATZ.

REFERENCE S CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 80 1,799,742Gilreath et a1. Apr. 7, 1931 1,945,956 Rowell Feb. 6, 1934 1,961,474Baum June 5, 1934 2,016,310 Baum Oct. 8, 1935 2,247,591 Sundee July 1,1941 2,259,148 Burkhart Oct, 14, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number CountryDate 49,551 France Jan. 28, 1939

